Have your friends or your TikTok For You page convinced you to watch the 2024 season of “Love Island USA,” but you don’t know how or where to start?
We know it can be hard to choose a show that has already aired six seasons and over 100 episodes. But you’ve come to the right place.
If this is your first time hearing about the Peacock dating show, it’s probably because “Love Island USA” recently hit new ratings highs, two years after the streaming service acquired the series from Paramount+.
Below, you’ll find USA TODAY’s guide to all things “Love Island USA,” and everything you need to know before entering the villa.
The first cast of women — JaNa Craig, Leah Kateb, Serena Page, Hannah Smith and Kaylor Martin — appear in the Season 6 premiere of “Love Island USA.”
Why is ‘Love Island USA’ suddenly so popular?
Season 6 of “Love Island USA” doubled in viewership from previous seasons and became Peacock’s “most-watched and most-talked-about series based on minutes viewed and volume of social conversation,” according to a July 11 press release.
The sudden interest could be due to new host Ariana Madix, who’s had a banner year thanks to “Scandoval,” “Dancing with the Stars” and her Broadway debut. But the bigger reason is likely the unwatchable drama and constant plot twists delivered by the Season 6 cast, which has sparked heated online debate over who’s being genuine and who’s just cheating her way to the finale.
“We want people to be sex-positive, we want them to have fun,” Simon Thomas, an executive producer on the series, recently explained to Rolling Stone. “The verdict is, can you do that without hurting someone else?”
What happens on ‘Love Island’?
Season 6 of “Love Island USA” is set in this sprawling mansion in Fiji.
The wildly popular “Love Island” franchise was born in the United Kingdom in 2015. The British series (which airs on Hulu in the US) is currently in its 11th season.
The concept of the show is similar to many reality dating shows, as cast members live together while being away from friends and family and without access to their mobile phones, while searching for romance with fellow cast members. With dozens of cameras strategically placed throughout the villa (including in the bedroom and bathroom) and microphones picking up every word, “Love Island” captures each dramatic – or intimate – moment.
Islanders spend their days gossiping, playing sports, playing games and participating in the show’s challenges. And in most cases, everyone has to be paired up to stay on the show.
Throughout the season, new cast members – known as “bombshells” – enter the villa and test the bonds of existing relationships. Every few days, an islander (or several) is “dumped” in a vote that changes format each time.
In the end, only a few couples remain and the viewers have to vote for their favorite couple to win the cash prize.
Where can you watch ‘Love Island USA’?
“Love Island USA” airs exclusively on Peacock.
Seasons 4 and 5 are also available on Peacock, if you dare. Seasons 1-3 are streaming on Paramount+.
How to Watch ‘Love Island USA’ Season 6
Nicole Jacky and Kendall Washington dance during a “stick or twist” challenge in season 6, episode 14 of “Love Island USA”.
Peacock is releasing new episodes of “Love Island USA” every day, “except Wednesdays.” Tune in to watch the drama series beginning at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET.
There will be no new activity from the villa on Saturday; instead, Aftersun presenter Maura Higgins (of Love Island UK Season 5) will speak to the show’s main host Ariana Madix, recently dumped cast members, famous former cast members and other guest stars about the latest developments.
Sometimes she shares new ‘Love Island’ footage that didn’t make it into the final cut and introduces surprises that will enter the villa.
Across the pond: How to Watch ‘Love Island UK’ Season 11 in the US
When does season 6 of ‘Love Island USA’ end?
The Season 6 finale of “Love Island USA” airs on Sunday, July 21.
How many episodes of ‘Love Island USA’ are there?
The finale on July 21st is the 36th episode of Season 6.
Vote for ‘Love Island USA’
Want to have your say on who stays and who goes, and which couple wins? There’s an app for that.
The “Love Island USA” app is available for download on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Viral Cast Photos from ‘Love Island’ — and when cosmetic treatments actually make you look older
What is Casa Amor on ‘Love Island’?
Kordell Beckham, Miguel Harichi, Robert Rausch, Kendall Washington, Kenny Rodriguez and Aaron Evans head to Casa Amor in Season 6, Episode 19 of “Love Island USA.”
Each season, the islanders begin to feel at ease, but the show’s producers increase the pressure by doubling the number of suitable actors.
The men and women are often separated by those in power through a secret method, and it is soon revealed that they will be living in separate villas for several days while they get to know a whole new group of men and women. This is the moment when, as the islanders like to say, relationships are put to the test.
In season 6, the producers made the men an offer for the first time that turned out to be a real twist for their other halves: they were given the choice of staying in the “Love Island” villa or going to Casa Amor.
To no one’s surprise, all six men—Kordell, Miguel, Rob, Kendall, Kenny, and Aaron—went to the new mansion and met six new women. After a few days apart, the original cast reunites to reveal who stayed true to their partners and who got back together.
What is a movie night on ‘Love Island’?
“Movie Night” took place on Season 6, Episode 26 of “Love Island USA.”
Of all the games and challenges the islanders participate in, the ‘movie night’ is one of the most dramatic.
The producers don’t let everyone get together until after the Casa Amor drama has begun, so the cast can see and hear exactly what everyone has been saying behind their backs all season.
An islander might witness a friend talking bad about him, or see his partner intimate with another person during Casa Amor. “Movie Night” shows these delightfully clueless reality stars exactly what viewers have been watching for weeks.
What does ‘soul ties are crazy’ mean?
In season 5, the term “soul ties” went from being a word on one of the many neon signs dotted around the villa to what could well have been the first “Love Island USA” tagline: “Soul ties is crazy” (with the emphasis on “ay-zee”).
The neon “soul ties” sign was placed somewhere islanders could connect, away from prying eyes (but no HD cameras, of course). The downside? Cast members could hear conversations from below.
From breakups to new relationships, wild things happened as islanders sought out ‘soul ties’. Now that the island’s reputation as a place where dramatic events took place, ‘soul ties is crazy’ was born.
Who Starred in ‘Love Island USA’ 2024?
From left to right: Miguel Harichi, Leah Kateb, Serena Page, Kordell Beckham, Kaylor Martin, Aaron Evans, Kendall Washington, Nicole Jacky, Robert Rausch, Daniela Noelle Ortiz-Rivera, Sierra Mills, Harrison Hans Luna, JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez participate in the ‘Summer Sports Day’ challenge on Season 6, Episode 30 of ‘Love Island USA.’
Nearly three dozen islanders walked through the villa doors in Season 6.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Love Island USA’ guide: How to watch, 2024 finale date
